***A Library for Juana

The World of Sor Juana Ines

by Pat Mora

Illustrated by Beatriz Vidal

Reviewed February 17, 2003.
Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 2002.  38 pages.
Available at Sembach Library (JB INE)

Look for this beautiful picture book in the children’s biography section.  Juana Ines de la Cruz was a precocious child who learned to read at age 3 by following her sister to school.  She was born in Mexico in 1648, at a time when it wasn’t usual to educate girls.  The book tells about her strong desire to learn and to read and how her determination made her education possible.  She ended up becoming a nun and the first great Latin American poet.

This lovely book beautifully and simply tells Juana Ines’ story.  Perfect for girls in early elementary grades.

Copyright © 2003 Sondra Eklund.  All rights reserved.

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